Imperial ClipperMultipurpose

As a multipurpose hull the Imperial Clipper leans on the one thing it does better than any other large ship — speed. It boosts to nearly 380 m/s, turns far better than its size suggests, and that pace pays off in every role: it hauls a decent load quickly, reaches distant signals fast, escapes trouble it can't out-fight, and crosses systems at a clip. Nine optional internals give it genuine room for the price — cargo racks, a strong shield, an exploration kit or a reinforcement stack as the job demands.

But it is a generalist held back at the edges. Only two large and two medium hardpoints, no military slot, a class-5 FSD and ~250 t of cargo mean it trails the true all-rounders in firepower, jump range and capacity alike. It needs a large pad despite medium-ship handling, and it needs Imperial rank to buy. The Clipper's multipurpose case is being a fast, affordable, characterful hull that can do a bit of everything — not a hull that does everything well.

Four things shape the Clipper as an all-rounder:

• Speed across every role. The fastest large ship in the game — 380 m/s boost stock, past 450 engineered — pays off whether you're hauling, running errands or escaping a fight.
• Roomy for the money. Nine optional slots take cargo racks, a strong shield, or an exploration kit; few large hulls offer this flexibility so cheaply.
• Agile and accessible. It flies like a heavy medium and needs only the modest Imperial Baron rank — no Duke gate, no fortune to buy.
• Style and value. A handsome Gutamaya hull cheaper than many mediums — an inexpensive way into a large ship that does a bit of everything.

A fast, cheap large hull whose nine optional slots and Imperial-Baron access carry it, while only four hardpoints, no military slot and a class-5 FSD cap the score at 73.

The 73/100 headline is a verdict against the multipurpose role's priority-ordered factors. Each factor carries a weight (its share of 100); this hull earns part of each based on how it performs against the whole field. The points sum to the rating.

Every table rates ships for multipurpose specifically, split by landing-pad class. The Max cargo column is maximum cargo tonnage — a proxy for internal room; the rating is the same 1–100 suitability verdict used across the site.

Same class — large multipurpose ships

10 large-pad multipurpose hulls carry a rating, led by Anaconda (88). Every same-pad rival lands where this one does — the direct field to shop.

Other classes — the medium all-rounders

The medium-pad multipurpose field (8 rated), led by Python (86) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.

Other classes — the small all-rounders

The small-pad multipurpose field (4 rated), led by Cobra Mk V (80) — cheaper hulls and tighter pads. They undercut this hull on the numbers, but sit a pad class away.

At ~21M Cr the Clipper is remarkably cheap for a large ship — less than many mediums — and gated only by the modest Imperial Baron rank. A balanced multirole fit lands around ~32M Cr, and engineering it across mobility, shields and a few guns runs past ~50M Cr.

That low entry price is the heart of its multipurpose case: it's an affordable way to fly a large, fast hull that can dabble across roles while you climb Imperial rank toward the Cutter — the same grind unlocks and then surpasses the Baron rank it needs.

A balanced multirole fit — a couple of guns, a bi-weave buffer, cargo room and a usable range, ready to re-tune for any role. Initial is buy-only; A-rated is the multirole baseline; Engineered weights the house pattern toward speed and shields.

Earn Baron, buy the hull (~21M Cr), and fit a buy-only multirole loadout: three gimballed guns (two pulse lasers and a multi-cannon), one shield booster over the stock 6E shield generator, and a 7E cargo rack. Bulkheads stay stock Lightweight Alloy — no spend until you A-rate. The fourth (medium) hardpoint, the other three utility mounts and the smaller optional slots stay empty for now.

A-rate the core internals first — thrusters, plant, distributor and FSD serve every role and protect the speed.

Build role-specific module sets (explorer kit, more cargo racks, a heavier combat fit) in storage to swap in as needed.

A-rating priority for a fast all-rounder:

• 1Thrusters → 6A — Speed is the Clipper's whole edge; A-rate thrusters first. ~4M Cr
• 2Power Plant + Distributor → 6A — Headroom for guns, shields and boost across roles. ~6M Cr
• 3FSD → 5A — Range for travel, errands and casual exploration. ~3M Cr
• 4Shield Generator → 6C bi-weave — A fast-regen buffer that suits combat, hauling and mining alike, backed by a 3A shield cell bank. ~3M Cr
• 5Military Grade Composite bulkheads + hull — Trade the stock alloy for military plate and two hull reinforcements (4D + 2D) for the combat side. ~12M Cr
• 6Role module sets — Cargo racks, fuel scoop, SRV, light combat kit to swap. varies

The house all-rounder pattern weighted to speed and range — mobility, FSD, shields and a couple of guns. Pin blueprints for remote G1→G5 application; visit in person for experimentals.

Recommended order

• 1Thrusters first — the Clipper's identity is speed; maximise it for every role.
• 2Increased-Range FSD with Mass Manager to lift the modest jump range.
• 3Plant and distributor to G5, then a bi-weave shield with Heavy-Duty boosters.
• 4Overcharged multi-cannons (one Corrosive) last; the modules carry their mods between role swaps.

Approximate progression across the three states (figures are representative, not exact rolls):

Engineered, the Clipper boosts past 450 m/s, jumps ~34 LY, hauls ~250 t and — on Military Grade Composite with two heavy-duty hull reinforcements — soaks far more punishment than its alloy-hulled start, fighting well enough for light combat. A quick, affordable hull that turns its hand to most things. Its room, range and firepower stay middling, so the true generalists out-do it at every job; what it offers is doing a bit of everything fast and cheap.

• A-rate the cores first — thrusters above all; the speed is what makes it useful in every role.
• It's a fast dabbler, not a true generalist — an Anaconda or Python out-hauls, out-jumps and out-fights it.
• Mind the large-pad-only footprint despite medium-ship handling — plan docking around large pads or a carrier.
• It has combat and trading manuals too — this one is for the do-a-bit-of-everything build.